'Best player in the Draft': Bucs take Termarr Johnson at No. 4

This browser does not support the video element.

PITTSBURGH -- Termarr Johnson was in tears as he walked up to embrace 11-year Pirates infielder Kevin Young and don the team¡¯s black-and-yellow jersey for the first time in what the club hopes will be a long pro career.

? 2022 Draft Central

But underlying that emotion is a confidence that has propelled the 5-foot-10 infielder, whom Pittsburgh selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, to where he found himself in that moment. A confidence that led Johnson to make a grand but succinct description of what the Pirates are getting in him.

"They're getting the best player in the Draft."

? Draft Tracker: Complete pick-by-pick coverage

Where does that swagger come from? Well, for one, it¡¯s a product of the skills he possesses as a player. And though it will take a while to determine if Johnson proves this statement to be correct, the consensus among prospect experts seems to agree with him on the hitting side.

According to MLB Pipeline, which rated him as its No. 4 Draft prospect, ¡°he might be the best pure prep hitter in decades.¡± Pipeline awarded Johnson with a 70 hit tool on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, while acknowledging that some evaluators consider him a rare 80 hitter. One anonymous scout compared Johnson to two Hall of Famers -- Wade Boggs (for plate discipline) and Vladimir Guerrero (for bat-to-ball skills).

¡°I like to call myself not the best hitter; I like to say I¡¯m the smartest hitter,¡± Johnson said. ¡°At the end of the day, I know whatever I want to do in the box. It varies for every at-bat, but I kind of have a knack of what I want to do in each at-bat. I know how to adjust.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

Don¡¯t let Johnson¡¯s 5-foot-10 frame fool you about his power either. He received a 60 scouting grade from MLB Pipeline for his power, thanks to his bat speed and strength. Don¡¯t believe it? In the summer of 2021, Johnson launched 24 homers in two rounds at the All-Star High School Home Run Derby at Coors Field, including six of at least 450 feet.

"He can hit everything," Pirates senior director of amateur scouting Joe DelliCarri said. "He¡¯s got a dynamic swing, but he¡¯s got a dynamic feel with his hands to make adjustments. He¡¯s got a lot of things going in his favor."

Though Johnson is projected to be a second baseman in the long term -- the sort of label that would seemingly keep a prospect from elite status -- the Pirates listed him as a shortstop, his natural position.

¡°He¡¯ll go out as a shortstop,¡± Pirates GM Ben Cherington said. "We think he can play there. As you know, most of our shortstops get exposed on both sides of the bag at some point [and that] probably will be the case for him, too."

MLB Pipeline¡¯s experts expect him to switch positions, saying ¡°his quickness and arm are more average than plus.¡± But Johnson believes he has the tools and drive necessary to be a productive shortstop at the MLB level. At Mays High School in Atlanta, he played the position with a strong acumen. He says he models his defensive game after players like Francisco Lindor and Trea Turner -- though his biggest MLB inspiration has always been second baseman Robinson Can¨® -- and he feels he¡¯s only gotten stronger at the position.

¡°You can go on my YouTube right now, and it's nothing but fielding videos -- how guys go about their business, the warmups and everything like that,¡± Johnson said. ¡°I had a chance to work with Ron Washington, so we've been able to work on me being better as a fielder and having more knowledge of the game and how I can be a better shortstop.¡±

Washington, the legendary MLB coach who serves as the Braves¡¯ infield instructor, is just one in a long line of mentors for Johnson, but the list begins with his oldest brother, Tervont.

Being the youngest of four brothers, Termarr was always challenged and pushed by them to be better than he was yesterday -- they were never going to take it easy on him -- which helped him sharpen his confidence. The elder Johnson, who played baseball at Georgia State and Georgia Tech, was the one who was always ready to throw for hours and hours in the cage.

¡°I remember saying in sixth grade, ¡®That¡¯s my hero,¡¯ because he¡¯s taught me a lot about life and [handling] everything that goes on in life, whether it¡¯s good or bad,¡± Johnson said of Tervont. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for everything, because he¡¯s always been in my corner, whether working out deals or just tossing balls to me in the cage.¡±

Before there was cage work with his older brother while growing into the youth baseball ranks, Johnson was a 3-year-old kid swinging a 30-inch bat 30 times a day. And then, as he recalls it: "Those 30 swings turned into 100 swings, and those 100 swings turned into 200 swings.¡±

Fifteen years later, and after the 15 minutes of phone calls, hearing his name called and conducting his first round of interviews, that¡¯s the part Johnson -- a ¡°baseball rat¡± in his own words -- is most ready for: the grind.

¡°I¡¯m excited,¡± Johnson said. ¡°To be honest, I am happy that those 15 minutes are over, because now it¡¯s less about Draft and it¡¯s more about work. I¡¯m ready to get to work.¡±

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com